Savanna-La-Mar Hospital – Celebrating 50 Years of Quality Service

The Savanna-la-Mar General Hospital in Westmoreland is, this year, celebrating its Golden Jubilee under the theme: ‘50 Years and Beyond – Offering Quality Healthcare for All’.

Activities to commemorate this milestone get underway on Sunday, July 20, with a thanksgiving service at the Savanna-la-Mar United Church, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

The celebrations continue on Thursday, July 24, with a special ceremony on the hospital grounds, beginning at 10:00 a.m., during which a commemorative monument will be unveiled.

Guest speaker will be Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer.

Savanna-la-Mar General Hospital had its genesis in the early 1900s, when indentured East Indians labourers first sought medical care at the infirmary of military barracks located in the town, at the time.

In 1958, a fire destroyed the infirmary building. However, years later a public/private partnership led to the construction of the current structure, which was officially opened on July 24, 1964 by then Health Minister, the late Dr. Herbert Eldemire.

Currently, the facility, which has more than doubled its bed complement to 200, is the only Type B hospital in western Jamaica.

Strategically located between the communities of Negril and Whitehouse, Savanna-la-Mar Hospital serves all parishes in the county of Cornwall, except Trelawny.

The institution provides a comprehensive range of medical, surgical, diagnostic, rehabilitative, and therapeutic services, delivered to over 200,000 persons accessing health care at the facility, by a dedicated team of 410 medical, administrative, and support staff.

Over the years, the hospital has been transformed into a modern secondary healthcare facility, having undergone significant upgrading. The most  recent was undertaken in 2010, when laparoscopic surgery was introduced.

The hospital also boasts a refurbished Labour and Delivery Suite, and a Colposcopy Unit, one of only two established in rural Jamaica.

The institution has partnered with the National Works Agency (NWA) to undertake a five-year development plan to address three key areas of operations.

These include the absence of an integrated communications system; the shortage of useable space in the physical plant – specifically in the Health Records Department and Out Outpatient Clinics; and insufficient points of entry and exit to and from the building.

Under the partnership, the hospital’s administration anticipates that by 2019, the institution’s record storage and retrieval system will be significantly improved.

Further, that the institution will commence offering elevated emergency service, in addition to advanced paediatric emergency services, all of which, combined, are expected to enhance patient care as well as staff morale.

The Savanna-la-Mar General Hospital falls under the administration of the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA).

The institution has a local management team which includes: Chief Executive Officer, Camile Lewin; Hospital Administrator, Tanesia Tomlinson; Senior Medical Officer, Dr. Leighton Perrins; and Director of Nursing Services, Catherine Frew.